Travel Protection

The month before school is a busy travel month. It's the last chance to take a vacation or to visit family. And the couple weeks before school starts, there's a lot of movement to and from colleges. It's a good time for families to relocate if someone's got a new job. 

But busy travel times can be found throughout the year, not just beginning of football/baseball playoff time. Thanksgiving is a busy time, and summer in general people go traveling. And those in business are constantly on the go. 

With travel comes inconvenience. Packing, tickets, transportation to and from the transportation, hotel or other acccomodations, schedules, maps, food, itineraries and someone or something getting lost. 

Then there's security. Or insecurity. Passports, picture id's, screeners, (mis)handlers - as if traveling wasn't risky enough. Somehow it seems more dangerous to be on the road - or in the air - than scooting around town.

Whether we like to travel or find it a nuisance, we try to take proper precautions and we hope that whoever's driving (or flying) is driving safe. Travel's not by horse and wagon (though sometimes it may feel that way), but there's still plenty to worry about. 

With all the precautions taken on a physical level, though, we often don't concern ourselves with precautions on a spiritual level - other than perhaps a heartfelt yet fearful prayer on takeoff and a heartfelt and relief prayer of thanks on landing.

One reason for this neglect is that we think we're traveling for our purposes - whether business or pleasure. If a person is traveling pursuing his or her own affairs, then, in a sense, what does G-d care? But if we're not just traveling for ourselves, we're traveling (at least also traveling) to fulfill one of G-d's commandments, then our going and coming just might (no guarantees) merit extra spiritual protection.

One of the  universal commandments - a Divine decree applicable to all humanity - is charity - tzedekah in Hebrew. Thus there is a Jewish custom - but it's a custom that everyone can adapt - of designating a dollar or some coins as "charity travel money." This money - it doesn't have to be a lot - is given to a charity once the destination is reached. 

So even if you're going on vacation for yourself, you're also going to deliver charity, which G-d wants and needs you to do, to your destination city. G-d goes with you, so to speak.

It's even better if a third party participates, so that you're actually a messenger. So if a friend or family member is going on a vacation or a business trip, why not give them a dime or a dollar, and ask them to deliver to some charity upon their arrival?